Lower thirds:

00:02 Report by / Dianne Hawker
00:42 Gerrit van der Merwe | Citrus farmer
01:33 Dianne Hawker | DW Correspondent | Citrusdal, Western Cape
02:14 Shamonly Matalla | Processing plant line manager
02:44 Ruben Richards | Mayor, Cederberg Municipality

Script:

00:00 - 00:08 - DW footage 
Citrasdal - a small Western Cape town that gets its name from itsmost famous export. (drone) 

00:08 - 00:15 -  DW footage 
The oranges, satsumas, and mandarins planted on these hills and valleys are destined for the United States. (drone) 

00:15 - 00:23 - DW footage 
It has been a thriving business for 25 years - but farmers here like Gerrit van der Merwe are now facing uncertain times thanks to Donald Trump. 

00:23 - 00:30  DW footage 
The US administration announced a 31 percent tariff on South African goods. 

00:30 - 00:40 DW footage
The tariffs have been put on hold for three months - after a violent reaction from the stock markets.

But farmers don’t know what might come next. 

00:40 - 00:56 UPSOUND: GERRIT VAN DER MERWE / CITRUS FARMER (English)
“The whole community, the workers, the pickers, is very it's just a lot of anxiety around. Nobody knows what's going on. They're looking at the leaders of the community to help us solve the problem. But for now, it's uncertainty, and in any uncertain environment, business doesn't thrive.”

00:56 - 01:05 DW footage
The Trump administration says it is ready to negotiate with different countries and Van der Merwe believes South African farmers are in a strong position.

01:05 - 01:21 UPSOUND: GERRIT VAN DER MERWE / CITRUS FARMER (English)
“We farm a citrus out of season with California so we’re not competition. We’re only complementary to the Californian side// // for the American consumer we will provide them cheaper fresh fruit and vegetables on a yearly basis. Surely that is a net positive for the US consumer.”

01:21 - 01:30 
This packaging plant will kick into high gear in just a few weeks, preparing fruit to be shipped to the US. (new location - packaging plant) 

01:30 - 01:56 SUPER@DIANNE HAWKER 

PTC 2: “Seven million cartons of fruit leave the Citrusdal region each yea, destined for the US market.. It's a 98-million-dollar industry employing thousands of seasonal and permanent workers. And So the new Trump tariffs are really a  bread and butter issue here with farmers worried about how they’ll keep their businesses and workers concerned about how they’ll feed their families.”

01:56 - 02:05 The uncertainty created by the Trump administration has left line manager Shamonly Matalla worried.

02:05 - 2:13 In peak season she oversees 160 workers, many who support large families with their income. 

2:13 - 02:29 UPSOUND: SHAMONLY MATALLA / PROCESSING PLANT LINE MANAGER
“I am supporting my family of nine with my money that I make here every month so yes, it’s pretty important to me that we export to the USA. Because when you pack for the USA, that’s when the overtime comes in and when the overtime comes in, that’s when you make more money.” 

02:29 - 02:34 The Mayor of the region which includes Citrusdal is Dr Ruben Richards.

02:34 - 2:42  He is also a farmer - and says the South African government should take a non-political approach when negotiating with Trump. 

02:42 - 2:55 UPSOUND: DR RUBEN RICHARDS / CEDERBERG 
“Donald Trump is not a politician. He's a business person. And a business person must engage with another business person to make a deal. And he's transactional, as we know. He drives a hard bargain. He's got a couple of things in hand, which we don't have. Size, reach, military power and so forth and so on, but we also have bargaining chips.”

02:55 - 03:05 The South African government has said it will support farmers by reaching out to other markets like China, the Middle East and Europe. (drone shots - different angles) 

03:05 - 03:11 But farmers here say changing industries is a slow and difficult process. 

03:11 - 03:22 They believe that the priority should be negotiating a deal that will get these boxes to US shores - at a price that will keep the workers employed.